1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to bearings and seals, and, more particularly, to geometric surface features of bearings and seals and their mating surfaces.
2. Description of the Related Art
A seal is a structure included in devices to prevent media from flowing past the seal into other areas of the device. Seals come in a great variety of shapes and sizes, depending on their intended application(s). When seals are used to seal areas with moving parts (dynamic seals), friction between the seal and the moving part(s) are of concern. Friction caused by a moving surface that is in contact with the seal can cause the seal's sealing surface to abrade away, which can lead to premature failure of the seal. Likewise, bearings are used to prevent two moving parts from being in contact with each other. Friction can also cause the bearing's sealing surface to abrade away, which can lead to premature failure of the seal. In addition, too much friction with a seal or bearing results in excessive heat and resulting degradation of system performance. To counteract this problem, lubricants are provided between the seal or bearing and the moving surface to reduce the frictional forces by acting as a fluid separation. However, during operation, the lubricants don't always stay in place or form an adequate separation between the seal or bearing and the moving surface.
The prior art describes different surface texturing designs which are engineered to provide oil lubricant pockets, and various friction results (higher and lower) have been reported. Typical lubricant pocket designs provide evenly spaced rectangular or round pockets of varying size and density on one of the surfaces in contact.
What is needed in the art is an improved way of reducing friction between a seal and a moving surface.